Electrical plug receptacles used as wall outlets usually have contacts which are continuously energized, and because of this represent a source of danger. Electrical shocks and short circuits can occur upon the insertion of a wire or other metal object into one of the slots which are intended to receive plug prongs. Children of tender years usually fail to appreciate this danger and are often at risk due to the own curiosity.
Many devices have been developed to render electrical wall outlets safe for children, that is, "child-safe." Many of these involve simple non-conductive plug covers, sometimes having prongs like electric plugs, which are removed prior to insertion of an electric plug. One disadvantage of such devices is that too frequently it is difficult to remove such non-metallic covers, and very easy just to ignore covering an electrical wall outlet again when it is no longer in use. Furthermore, such devices provide no protection during plugging and unplugging.
Efforts have been made toward development of child-safe outlet cover assemblies which reclose automatically when the wall receptacle is not in use. Examples of such devices and other prior art include the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
4,302,624 (Newman)
2,641,627 (Lewis)
4,584,430 (Belknap)
4,605,270 (Aslizadeh)
4,600,258 (Hu)
4,279,457 (Nickence)
4,206,957 (Ludwig et al.)
3,865,456 (Dola)
3,775,726 (Gress)
3,238,492 (Houston)
2,710,382 (Fitzpatrick et al.)
2,610,999 (Silver)
3,222,631 (Cohen).
Despite the efforts in development of child-safe outlet covers, a a variety of problems, disadvantages and shortcomings are present in prior art outlet covers and cover assemblies.
Devices requiring a specific locking action may not consistently be locked. Automatic locking is needed.
Many of the prior cover assemblies are complex and/or difficult to operate. For example, some devices require that an adult use two hands in order to insert an electric plug into a receptacle. This inconvenience may not be tolerated by an adult and discourages the use of the protective device. Furthermore, it is unsafe to use two hands when working with live electricity.
In other cases, relative ease of operation or simplicity of structure may be achieved with excessive compromise in childresistant capabilities. In some cases, shielding devices can be fairly easily moved to the side thus exposing the electric receptacles. Some shielding devices are at no time adequately locked in protective positions. In other cases, shields are inadequately attached to the remainder of the assembly, or inadequately held while in certain positions of operation.
In some devices of the prior art, movable shields are intended to be pivoted to positions beyond the edges of the cover plates on which they are mounted. This is unattractive and may allow a child to bend and break the shield away from the device.
In short, a number of problems need to be solved in an improved child-safe outlet cover.